Bliss
by leoluvr6628
Summary: When Merida finally decides to choose a suitor, her parents don't approve. Her choice certainly wasn't one anybody saw coming.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! This little idea popped into my head last night and I just had to write it down. It's going to have several more chapters, just so you know. Merida is about 18 here, and because I refuse to believe that Hiccup was only 13 in the movie, he's 17.**

"But I thought ye wanted me to choose a husband!" Merida shouted at her father angrily.

"Of course we do!" her father roared back. "But we thought ye'd choose one a the young lords, not some savage from the edge o' civilization!"

"HE IS NOT A SAVAGE!" Merida cried, rage making her voice shrill. "And I don't ever want to hear you call him that again!" Her eyes caught the light of the torches, blazing as brightly as her fiery hair. Her gaze was so intense that even Fergus shied away.

"Darling, we only want what's best for you," Elinor soothed. She stepped forward and smoothed her daughter's wild curls back from her face. "But honestly, this boy just isn't safe! I mean, his best friend is a dragon, for heaven's sake! It's not right!" Elinor wanted to let Merida make her own decisions, she really did, but the prospect of her only daughter marrying some wayward viking and moving away so he could rule his own kingdom frightened her beyond belief.

"I love him, Mum," Merida said quietly. Her eyes softened and a tear slipped down her cheek. She stepped back so she could see both of her parents. "Isn't that what matters most? Does that mean anything to you?" She looked from her mother to her father and back again.

Elinor turned back to her husband. Fergus sniffed and quickly wiped away his own tears. He rose from his great throne and walked towards his daughter. Elinor stepped aside so he could take Merida's hands in his own. "We understand, Merida. We just don't want to lose ya'," he said calmly, voicing the same concerns as his wife. "Marrying one of the lords would keep ya' close, marrying the viking will send ya' so far away."

Merida cracked a smile and reached up to swipe a stray tear from her father's face. The burly man sniffed, embarrassed that his daughter had seen him crying. Merida laughed and said, "It's not like I'll never come back, Dad. It's only a day's ride by dragon. He'd never let me get away with not visiting."

Fergus sighed in defeat. He knew there was no arguing with his daughter, especially when it came to her viking boyfriend. He looked to his wife and she silently agreed with him, a simple nod of her head was all that he needed for confirmation. They turned back to their daughter. Merida waited anxiously, her green eyes big and pleading and her hands clasped in front of her chest. Elinor couldn't help but grin, it was so unlike Merida to try to use the puppy-dog face to get her way, but it seemed as if she was out of options. "Very well, then, Merida," the queen said, "you can marry the viking."

Merida squealed and danced around in a circle before wrapping both of her parents in a hug. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she giggled, so full of happiness that it was all bubbling out. "I can't wait to tell Hiccup!" she cried. She kissed each of her parents on the cheek and dashed up the stairs to her room.

Fergus and Elinor watched her go. When she had disappeared around the corner and they heard her door slam shut, the Bear King turned to his wife. "Did we do the right thing, Elinor?" he asked. "Should we really be lettin' 'er go?"

Elinor smiled and gave her husband's hand a comforting squeeze. "Of course we did, Fergus. Look how happy she is. Remember when we were that happy to be getting married?" she reassured him.

Fergus chuckled, his booming laugh echoing around the empty throne room. "Aye, you're right. She's blissfully in love. If we hadn't given her permission she would have gone and married him anyway. It's better this way."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Up in her room, Merida ran around in circles, giggling like she'd lost her mind. She hadn't felt this emotionally overwhelmed since her mother had transformed back into a human. When her adrenaline had worn off and she realized that she was gasping to breath, she collapsed onto her bed. She lay still for a few minutes, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath. She reached up and felt her throat for the cord of the necklace Hiccup had given her. She found it and pulled the charm out from under her dress. She held the intricate carving of a Nightfury up so she could see it. She smiled and pressed it to her lips, wishing that Hiccup was there with her. He'd carved the little charm himself, and the smile he had when he gave it to her had been so big she was afraid it would split his face. In comparison, the little bear charm she'd given him seemed dumb, since it was one that Merida had bought from the witch. Hiccup loved it just the same.

She was anxious to tell him what her parents had said, but she knew he had to deal with his own family. Stoick was probably going to be easier to deal with than Merida's parents had been, but it was still going to take some talking on Hiccup's part.

Merida sighed. She was so excited, she couldn't stand to wait for a wedding. _'Maybe we should just elope,' _she thought. '_It would be so much easier.' _She knew she couldn't though. Elinor had been planning Merida's wedding practically since the day the girl was born. It meant so much to the queen. And at least Merida got to marry someone she loved.

She sat up again and moved to get ready for bed. She wiggled out of her dress and into a nightgown. She pulled the blanket off her bed and dragged it over to the window seat. The night was so cold that the fire blazing in her bedroom hearth was barely slicing through the chill. She wrapped the blanket around herself and curled up against the wall. She rested her forehead against the cool glass and drifted off to sleep. Just before she was gone completely, she whispered, "I'll see you soon, Hiccup."

**So as I said, there'll be more chapters, and I may end up writing a prequel about how they met. TTFN!**


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup stood at the base of the hill leading up to his house, wringing his hands. He stared up at the firelight in the windows. If he looked close enough, he could see his father's shadow moving around inside.

Toothless stared up at his master, intrigued. He knew what Hiccup wanted to talk to his father about tonight, the boy had been blathering on about it all day. What Toothless didn't understand was why his friend was so worried. The dragon rolled his eyes and grunted. He nudged Hiccup's good leg with his snout. The poor boy stumbled and cried out. He carefully righted himself and shot Toothless an exasperated look. The dragon simply nodded up the hill, encouraging Hiccup to go.

Hiccup sighed and his shoulders slumped. "I know, Toothless, I just… just… what if he says no?" He turned to his best friend and continued. "I mean, he's never even met her! And she's never been here. What if I bring her and she hates it, or she misses her family too much?"

Toothless gave Hiccup a look of disbelief. The boy sighed again and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'm going," he groaned. He trudged his way up the hill, grateful for once that his prosthetic leg was slowing him down. He got to the door, took a deep breath, and shoved it open. "Hi, Dad," he called out, hoping that he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. He stood rooted to the spot in the doorway. Toothless grunted and shoved his way past. Hiccup took the dragon's cue and stepped in, shutting the door behind him.

"Hello, son," Stoick answered. Toothless bounded across the room to the oversized man, wrapping around him like a domesticated tabby cat and making him laugh. Hiccup managed to crack a smile at his father and his dragon while he hung up Toothless' saddle. He wandered across the room and sat down at the table across from where Stoick was fending off an affectionate Night Fury.

"Sooo, Dad," Hiccup began, not really sure how he should start the conversation. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Just a moment, Hiccup," Stoick replied, still trying to wrestle Toothless away. "Go eat yer fish," he laughed, shoving the dragon away. He turned back to his son and said, "What did you want to talk about, son?"

"Do you remember when I told you about that girl who lives in Scotland that I kind of have a crush on?" Hiccup replied cautiously.

"Mary Beth, right?" Stoick said. "What about her?" He took a swig from the tankard sitting on the table in front of him, seemingly oblivious to how nervous Hiccup was.

"Merida," Hiccup corrected, "but you were close. Well, what I wanted to talk to you about was, it's not so much a crush that I have on her anymore." He wrung his hands beneath the table, eyes trained on the wall behind Stoick's head.

"Where are you going with this, Hiccup?" Stoick sighed, taking another long drink from his mug.

"I… I asked her to marry me, Dad."

Stoick choked on his ale, coughing it up and spitting it across the table and onto his son. He spluttered, trying desperately to breathe before looking back up at Hiccup. "You _what_?" he panted. "How… when… what… why?"

"I believe the answer to all of those questions is, _because I love her_," Hiccup spat back. "And may I just say, thank you not only for that lovely face full of ale, but for the complete faith in my decisions." He offered his father a sarcastic smile as he wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Oh come off it, Hiccup," Stoick seethed. "How could you even think this was a good idea? Couldn't you have just fallen in love with a viking girl?"

"I tried that, Dad," Hiccup shouted. "You know how things ended with Astrid."

"Astrid isn't the only girl on the island Hiccup! What about that Thorston girl, she seems nice enough."

"Yeah, sure Ruffnut's pretty nice, but she's a _lunatic_. Merida is brave and strong and sweet, and equally important: she's _sane_."

"Didn't you say she was a princess? She'd have to stay in her kingdom to rule there wouldn't she?" Stoick pointed out in the hope that he had stumped his son.

"She said she wanted to come live here, on Berk," Hiccup countered. "She has three little brothers that can take the throne when they're older."

"But what about… what about… alright I'm out of buts. I still don't think this is a good idea though!" Stoick barked.

"Dad, do you remember how much you loved mom?" Hiccup asked, trying a different approach.

"What does that have to do with your Scottish girlfriend?" Soick replied.

"Just answer the question, Dad," Hiccup sighed.

"Of course. Your mother meant the world to me, but I still don't see what that has to do with…" he trailed off, seeing the look Hiccup was giving him. He had one slightly soggy eyebrow raised as if to say 'You really don't see where I'm going with this?' "Ooooh, I've got you now." Stoick said with a nod. Hiccup smiled and rolled his eyes. "You're sure about this, Hiccup?"

"Yes, Dad," Hiccup said. "I love her."

"All right then." Stoick reached across and patted Hiccup on the shoulder.

"Yes!" Hiccup cried. He leapt out of his seat and scrambled across the table to hug his dad. "Thanks, Dad!" He released Stoick and ran over to Toothless. "See, buddy, I told you he would say yes! I can't believe you doubted me!" Toothless grunted indignantly, but didn't have the heart to ruin Hiccup's good mood.

"You're welcome, son," Stoick said. "Now off to bed. I suspect you'll be wanting to go see her tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Come on, Toothless." He bounded up the stairs two at a time with Toothless on his heels.

Once Hiccup was undressed and ready for bed, he found he couldn't sleep. He turned to look out the window, fingering the amulet that hung around his neck. It was a little carving of a bear that Merida had given him. "I'll be there soon," he whispered into the darkness. "Everything will be perfect."

**Okay, so apparently you guys absolutely love this stuff. Thanks! This story has quickly rocketed to one of the most popular I've written. I have a couple other things I'm working on, not to mention school, so it might be a bit slow, but I promise I won't abandon you guys. Thanks for reading. TTFN!**


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Hiccup was greeted by a blinding ray of sunlight and a dragon's snout jabbing him in the ribs.

"Gaaah! Toothless! What do you want?" Hiccup groaned. He laid his left arm over his eyes and used his right to push Toothless away. The dragon persisted however. He jumped up on the bed, took Hiccup's amulet in his mouth and tugged on it. "Hey, Toothless, stop! Merida gave that to me!" Hiccup scolded, still not sitting up. He yanked the charm back and laid it against his chest.

"Merida!" Hiccup exclaimed. He threw back the covers and scrambled out of bed. He yanked open his dresser drawers and grabbed the first shirt he could find, wiggling into it. He did the same with his pants and his boot. He ran to the stairs and hopped down on his good foot. He'd found that that was the best way to do it.

"Morning, Dad!" he shouted. Stoick was sitting at the table eating a bowl of porridge and going over his checklist for the day.

"Mornin', Hiccup," he replied. "I was wondering when you would be up."

"Yeah, Toothless just had to wake me," Hiccup grumbled. He served himself a bowl of porridge and plopped down across from his father. He snatched the spoon that was sitting there for him and started shoveling the gloopy substance into his mouth without really tasting it.

"Slow down, son!" Stoick chuckled, taking the boy's spoon away. Hiccup looked up at him, startled. "You've gotta remember to breathe, boy. I know you're excited to go see your girlfriend, but ya won't be much good ta her if ya choke to death on yer breakfast."

Hiccup blushed and gingerly took back the spoon. He plunged it into the bowl again and proceeded to eat at a more sensible rate. "Sorry," he mumbled through a mouthful. When he'd finished his meal a few minutes later, he tossed the bowl and spoon in the bin with the other dirty dishes and bolted to the door. "See you later, Dad," he called back. "Or you know, tomorrow. Either way I'll see you." He took Toothless' saddle and the harness off of their hook by the door and ran out, Night Fury on his heels.

Hiccup sprinted through town at top speed, making his way towards the docks. Not many people were out yet, but there were a few milling about.

"Hiccup, 'ey!" a familiar voice shouted after him. Hiccup screeched to a stop so suddenly that Toothless didn't have time to slow down. Dragon plowed into rider and they both went tumbling down. "Careful there, boy," the voice chuckled. A meaty hand reached down and yanked the boy to his feet.

"Thanks, Gobber," Hiccup replied. He brushed himself off and then glanced down to make sure Toothless was unhurt.

"So, I hear that congratulations are in order," Gobber continued, patting Hiccup on the back.

"Yeeaah," Hiccup replied with a blush. "You talked to Dad?"

"O course I did," the man bellowed. "We're best friends! There isn't nothin' yer father don't tell ol' Gobber."

Hiccup laughed. "I'm actually off to see her now," Hiccup said, gesturing to the saddle tucked under his arm.

"Best be on yer way then. When do you plan on bringin' the lady here to meet us?"

Hiccup froze. He actually hadn't thought about that. He'd met Merida's parents, but she'd never been to Berk. "I don't know, actually," he admitted. "Maybe I'll bring her when I come home this time."

"Good," Gobber nodded. "Now off with ya. It's not polite to keep a lady waiting."

"Right. See you later!" Hiccup took off again, step-hopping his way down the hill with Toothless keeping a close eye on him to make sure he didn't fall.

The pair got down to the shore and Hiccup started strapping Toothless' saddle on and fastening himself into his harness. He was interrupted however when a new voice said, "Hiccup?" from behind him.

Hiccup and Toothless sighed in unison. They just wanted to get going. Toothless couldn't wait to take to the sky, Hiccup couldn't wait to see his princess again. But, always the polite person, he turned around to greet the owner of the voice.

"Good morning, Astrid." He plastered a smile on his face. Of all people, it **had **to be her.

"Hey. What're you doing? You're never up this early," she asked.

Hiccup blushed slightly and rubbed his neck. "I'm kind of on my way somewhere. What about you? What're you doing this morning?"

"Ruffnut and I were going to go for…" she began, but got cut off by a roar from the ledge above them.

"Hey, Astrid where'd you go?" another feminine voice called down. Both heads of a Zippleback appeared over the ledge, but only one head was occupied. Ruffnut leaned over so she could see down to the water's edge. "Oh hey, Hiccup. Hang on, I'll be right down." She urged her dragon off of the ledge, and it hovered down to Hiccup and Astrid. She swung off of its neck and strolled over to her friends. "Astrid and I were gonna go for a ride. Wanna come with?"

"Actually, I was on my way out for a couple days," Hiccup replied. One of the Zippleback's heads slithered over to him and he gave it a quick pat.

"Sweet. Where ya goin'?" Ruffnut asked.

"Scotland, actually," Hiccup answered.

"Oooo, going to see the girlfriend," Ruffnut teased, elbowing Hiccup in the ribs.

Before he thought about what he was saying, Hiccup blurted, "Fiancé, actually."

"What?!" Ruffnut and Astrid screeched together.

"What do you mean 'fiancé'?" Astrid exclaimed.

"You're getting married to the Scot? No way! That is wicked! I've gotta go tell everyone!" Ruffnut swung herself back up onto the Zippleback and turned it towards Astrid. "You comin'?" she called.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up," Astrid replied, waving her off. She crossed her arms and glared at Hiccup as the other girl took off. Once they were gone, Astrid burst. "What do you think you're doing?" she shouted. "You're going to marry the Scottish princess and run off to go rule her kingdom? How could you? I was perfectly okay with the fact that things didn't work out between us, but couldn't you have married another girl from the tribe? You're such an _idiot_!"

"Stop it, Astrid!" Hiccup shouted back. "Yes, I'm going to marry Merida, and we're going to live here so I can be chief! You want to know why? Because I love her! I don't think you can possibly understand that, because you might actually be incapable of feeling love! All you care about is impressing people and being the best, and if you're not, then you have to make it so you are! _That's _why you didn't like me spending so much time with Toothless. You were afraid that I would be better than you at something! You might be faster and stronger than me, Astrid, but I will _always _be the better dragon rider. And there is nothing that will ever change that!"

Astrid stood there looking shocked. She gaped at Hiccup, surprised that such a small body could even hold all that anger.

"Goodbye, Astrid," Hiccup said. He signaled Toothless over and mounted. Without so much as a backward glance, he clicked Toothless' tailfin into position and took off into the sky.

* * *

Merida rode through the trees firing at her hidden targets. The sun was setting, and it was at least her fifteenth go at it that day, but she was restless. She had been watching the skies all day waiting for Hiccup. She'd been making Angus run their course forever, and the poor horse was exhausted. After she'd finished the loop again, she dismounted and patted Angus' muzzle. "All right, take a break," she said sadly.

Angus whinnied gratefully and plopped down on his rump, unable to stand any longer. Merida giggled at the beast and started to wander back along the trail collecting her arrows.

The red-headed girl froze when she heard a faint sound. It was high-pitched and far off, but she was almost sure that she'd heard it. She listened closer, tuning out all the natural sounds of the forest. There it was again! She dashed out to where she could see up between the tree tops. She turned her face towards the crimson sky and squinted into the fading sunlight. "Come on, come on. I'd know that cry anywhere. Come on," she muttered.

Then it happened. A black streak. There and gone so fast that she would have missed it if she hadn't been waiting for exactly that. Merida whooped for joy and ran back to where she had left Angus, foolishly trying to shove her arrows into the quiver while it was bouncing on her hip.

"Let's go Angus, they're headed toward the river!" she exclaimed. The horse just gave her a questioning look and laid down all the way. "Fine! I'll go by myself." She whipped her bow and quiver off and stuck them in the crook of the tree behind Angus, planning on coming back for them later. She took off running in the direction the black streak had gone.

Merida burst through the tree line into a clearing on the river bank. The first thing she noticed was the dark mass of scales and muscles leaping around in the water in a failed attempt to catch dinner. The second thing she noticed was the boy with the metal leg slipping around on the wet rocks.

"Hiccup!" Merida cried.

The boy spun around, his damp hair clinging to his forehead. He spotted her standing by the trees and a smile split his thin face.

Merida ran from the trees and straight for him. She leapt into his arms. The combination of her force and the lack of friction the rocks were providing toppled him over backwards, but Toothless was there to catch them before they hit the water.

Blushing, Merida stood and pulled Hiccup back up so he was standing. They stepped out of the water and onto the grass so as not to fall again. Once she was sure that Hiccup was steady on his foot, she flung herself into his arms again. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

Hiccup's arms found their natural place around her waist with ease. He pressed his nose into her wild hair and took a deep breath. He loved the smell of her. She smelled like fresh air and trees and adventure. He knew that it didn't make any sense, but that's the only way he knew how to describe it.

"I missed you," he said into her hair.

She pulled away so they were arms' length away from each other and gave him a look. "What was that?"

"I said 'I missed you,'" he explained.

Merida laughed and hugged him again. "I missed ya, too, ya filthy viking."

Hiccup smiled. It felt so right to be with her again. He could feel his amulet where the pressure of her against him was pushing it into his chest. And hanging next to it on the cord, he could feel the cool surface of the other thing he'd strung on there that morning.

Hiccup stepped away from her and took her hand, leading her back to where Toothless was still trying unsuccessfully to catch a fish to eat. "So," he said, "did you talk to your parents?"

"Of course," she replied. She let go of his hand to wade into the shallow water. She watched the flow for a minute, and then lunged forward and came up with a wiggling fish clutched between her hands. "Here ya go, Toothless." She tossed the fish to the dragon, who swallowed it in one gulp.

Hiccup chose to stay where the ground was dry and he had a better chance of staying upright. "Aaaand?" he prompted, getting nervous.

"Aaaand," Merida mocked with a grin, "they said yes! Of course they said yes, ya dummy!" She launched herself at him once again. She leaned back so she could see him and said, "What about yer dad? What did he say?"

Hiccup simply nodded, so full of emotion that he didn't trust himself to speak.

Merida giggled and bounced away from him to perform her signature happy dance. "We're going to get married, Hiccup!" she giggled. She twirled into the river and wrapped her arms around Toothless' neck. "We're getting married, Toothless!" She bolted straight again. "I've got to tell Angus!" She sloshed out of the stream and started to run back the way she'd come, but Hiccup sprung forward and caught her by the arm.

Hiccup pulled the giddy ginger to his chest and wrapped his arms around her to keep her still. "You can tell him later," he said with a loving smile. Merida smiled back, happy tears welling in her eyes. Her arms snapped up and her fingers tangled in Hiccup's shaggy brown hair. She pulled his face down towards hers and kissed him.

When the annoying requirement of breathing forced them to separate, Hiccup tugged his necklace out from under his shirt and slipped it off. He untied the knot and took the second object off of the cord.

"Now that we're officially engaged," he said, "do you think that maybe you could where this?" He opened his hand and held it out to her. Sitting in his palm was a simple silver ring. When he'd first proposed, she'd of course said yes, but was worried that maybe if she wore the ring before she'd asked her parents' permission, things would be a bit harder.

Hiccup had forged the ring himself, something he'd barely done at all since the opening of the dragon academy. He'd molded the silver into a ring and pressed several tiny diamonds into the metal while it was still warm and soft. He was well aware that there were better ways to do it, but he was hoping that the fact that he had made it himself would count for something.

Merida took a step back and grinned mischievously. "I dunno," she whispered. "Why don't you ask me again?"

Hiccup smiled and got down on his good knee. Toothless paused in his pursuit of food to look up at the scene unfolding before him. "Princess Merida," Hiccup said, "will you marry me?" He held the ring out to her.

"Of course I will, ya dimwit!" Merida cried. She snatched the ring from him with a teasing smile and slipped it onto her left hand ring finger. "I still can't believe you made it," she sighed as Hiccup staggered back to his feet.

"Anything for my princess," he shrugged. Merida shot him a look. She acted like she didn't like when he referred to her as "princess," but in truth she loved when he said it.

"Thank you," she said. She reached up and touched his cheek.

Hiccup leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you, Merida," he said quietly.

Merida stood on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I love you, too, Hiccup." They kissed again. When Merida dropped away after a moment she said, "My, when'd it get this dark?" The pair looked around and realized that they were standing there in the moonlight, the sun having completely set.

"We'd better head back," Hiccup said. He took her hand and turned towards the trees. "I don't want your parents to rethink their decision. We'll go get Angus though. Come on, Toothless."

Toothless waded out of the water and walked behind the couple as they strolled off, Merida's bright hair the last thing to disappear into the darkness.

**Okay, longer chapter. I've been **_**dying**_** to write about them interacting. I was so excited to do this chapter and I can't wait to continue.**

**Now, if you are a deep and passionate Astrid fan, and would like to flame me for what I wrote about her, I ask that you simply save yourself some time and write "I don't like what you did with Astrid" instead of coming up with clever insults. If no one was offended by how I portrayed Astrid, that's even better! I'd just hate for you to waste your valuable time writing a mean review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Merida woke later than usual the next morning. She'd been up late with her mother and Hiccup. Well, her father had been there, too, but he was asleep through most of it. As soon as Merida and Hiccup had arrived back at the castle they'd been swarmed by her family. Her brothers had quickly latched onto Hiccup's hands and good leg, giggling happily and refusing to let go. Fergus had given the poor boy the mandatory, "You'd better take good care of my daughter." Elinor had simply given the boy a hug and said, "Welcome to the family."

Soon after though, thinks started to go bad. Merida should have seen it coming, but she'd been temporarily blinded by her bliss. But of course, Elinor had jumped directly into wedding planner mode.

Hamish, Hubert, and Harris, immediately detached themselves from Hiccup and ran off. Fergus attempted do the same, but Elinor simply grabbed him by the ear and marched over to the long table in the middle of the room.

Elinor reasoned that the wedding should be help in DunBroch, because not only did Merida's family have to invite the other three clans, but it was much easier for the Vikings to travel because they had dragons.

The queen figured that for the wedding, Hiccup could wear traditional Viking garb. Merida, on the other hand would wear a dress specifically made for the occasion. Elinor summoned a maid who fetched a piece of paper from the queen's chambers. Elinor carefully unfolded it and spread it out on the table. It displayed a carefully drawn design of a wedding dress.

"What's that?" Merida muttered, peering a tiny bit of writing in the bottom corner. She raised herself up and squinted at it, letting out a gasp. "That's a date! Ye've had this drawn up since I was two!" She gaped at her mother, who simply smoothed a wrinkle in the paper.

"I just wanted to be prepared, Merida."

Merida groaned dramatically and slumped in her chair. Hiccup rolled his eyes with a smile and took her hand under the table, making her blush.

Once the torture was over for the night, Merida trudged up to her room, shoulders hunched forward and head hanging low.

"Are you alright?" Hiccup asked as she was opening her bedroom door. She felt his fingers wrap around her thin arm and she sighed. Merida turned around to her fiancé's worried face.

"I'm fine," she said, giving what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's just that she'd only going ta get worse." She gestured hopelessly towards the staircase. "And I'm tired of it already."

Hiccup smiled at her. His hand slipped down her arm to her hand and their fingers twined together. "I guess now would be a pretty good time to mention that my dad wants me to bring you to Berk."

Merida's eyes widened. "That would be perfect!" she cried. "I would finally get ta see Berk and I'd get ta get away fer a while!" She laughed, leaping forward to wrap her arms around Hiccup's neck.

Hiccup smiled and hugged her back. "All right. Get to bed then, it's an all-day flight to Berk." He kissed her curly hair opened the door to hold it for her. "Good night, Merida."

"G'night, Hiccup," she replied. She raised herself up to peck him on the lips as she passed, making him blush.

So now it was morning, and Merida was getting dressed. She put on her usual green dress and started down the hall towards the stairs. At the top of the staircase, she could hear voices down in the great hall.

Merida froze when she realized who the voices belonged to. "Oooh, no," she sighed. She hurried down the stairs.

Just as she'd suspected, there were visitors in the hall. At the head of the table, her mother, father, and brothers were sitting with the three lords, Macintosh, Dingwall, and McGuffin. At the other end, her poor Hiccup was being forced to breakfast with the younger lords.

Young Macintosh was standing on the bench with one foot on the table, slashing his arm through the air as if he had a sword. McGuffin was listening with rapt attention, while Dingwall just looked bored out of his wits. Well, what wits he had, anyway. Hiccup had his back to Merida, but she could just imagine how uncomfortable he was.

Knowing her parents, they'd introduced Hiccup as Merida's "friend" so as not to have a brawl over breakfast. And knowing Hiccup, he'd been too polite to correct them.

Elinor looked up from her eggs to see Merida standing at the bottom of the steps. "Good morning dear," she called out. All talking ceased. Macintosh halted his re-enactment with his arm still raised. Hiccup swiveled to look at her and she could see his face relax in relief. "Come say hello," Elinor beckoned. She waved Merida over with her fork.

"Good morning, Mum," Merida said, bending to kiss her mother's cheek. "Daddy." She kissed him, too, and then turned to the lords. "It's nice to see you again, gentlemen."

"Princess," they said together, bowing their heads.

Merida nodded back and hurried down the table. She approached the younger lords on the side opposite Hiccup. "Hello, boys," she greeted. She gave them her usual cordial smile and sidestepped Wee Dingwall's attempt to kiss her hand. Young Macintosh leapt down from the table to block her path.

"M'lady," he said, giving a deep bow. "What a pleasure it must be to be in my presence."

Merida winced at his arrogance. "Of course, Dallan," she said, patting him on the shoulder before she continued on.

Young McGuffin was sitting at the foot of the table, smiling timidly. "Hello, Riley," she said, giving him a genuine smile of her own. He was by far the nicest out of the boys, and Merida's favorite. If she hadn't met Hiccup and it had come instead to choosing one of the young lords she probably would have chosen him.

"Mornin'," he said, easily understood for once.

Merida walked around behind him and over to Hiccup. They didn't greet each other, only smiled. "I am so sorry," Merida whispered as she passed. She trailed her hand along his shoulders, brushing the back of his neck with her fingertips. She took a seat next to him, and the boy had enough sense not to hold her hand. Someone would have noticed.

"I didn't know you boys were coming for a visit," Merida said.

"Our messenger was waylaid," Dallan said as he reclaimed his seat.

"I see," she said. A servant came and set a plate in front of her. She picked up the fork and poked at the food but couldn't bring herself to eat it.

"You okay?" Hiccup murmured, looking over at her.

Merida nodded so as not to raise suspicion, but Hiccup could tell she was lying. He didn't say anything though.

"Merida," Elinor called down the table. "Isn't there something you need to tell us."

"Actually, Mother, I think it would be better if you delivered the news," Merida said. '_Please, please don't make me do this.' _she thought, hoping her mother could read her expression.

Elinor sighed and delicately set down the fork. "Very well. Gentlemen," everyone at the table had their eyes on her.

Hiccup took Merida's hand under the table. '_Here it comes' _she thought.

"My daughter has chosen a young man to be her husband and is ready for marriage," Elinor said.

'_Well, I didn't expect it ta come quite like that,' _Merida thought, surprised. She and Hiccup looked at each other. He was obviously equally surprised.

"What now?" Hiccup mouthed. Merida shrugged and turned back to the table to find that everyone was looking at her.

"It would be appropriate for you to tell them who you've chosen," Elinor urged. She gave Merida a cold look that clearly meant that she should do as she was told.

"Oh." Merida looked at the young lords, who all smiled back expectantly. "Well, I chose Hiccup," she said, with sideways nod at him. He raised one hand to wave and gave a half smile.

The entire room was as silent as if everyone had dropped dead. There wasn't even any noise coming from outside. Everyone just stared at Merida and Hiccup, who stared right back at them. They were squeezing each other's hands so tightly that neither of them had any blood going to their fingers.

"Guys?" Merida said cautiously.

That did it. Wee Dingwall let out a barbaric roar and leapt across the table, straight for Hiccup. He slammed into Hiccup and they both fell backwards over the bench, toppling it and taking Merida with them.

"Neason, stop!" Merida shouted. She scrambled across the floor to try and pry the crazed boy off of her fiancé.

Hiccup was desperately trying to shove Neason away, but even though the Scot was smaller, he had gone completely berserk and was clawing savagely at Hiccup's face and neck, trying to kill him.

There was a screech, and suddenly Neason was gone and the door to the great hall was wide open.

"Toothless, no!" Hiccup cried, but he couldn't get up. His drink had spilled in the commotion and his prosthetic couldn't find any purchase on the wet stones.

Toothless had Neason pinned under his front paws and was growling at him, fire already building in his throat. Neason was sobbing like a child, begging for someone to help him. The other lords already had their weapons drawn and were cautiously advancing on the dragon.

"Don't!" Merida warned. She leapt away from Hiccup, who was no longer the primary concern. She stood between Toothless and the lords, her arms spread. "You'll only make in worse." She turned to Toothless and gently put her hand on his head. "Toothless," she whispered soothingly. "It's alright big guy. Hiccup is alright, look."

Toothless turned to look at his master. Fergus had helped the boy up and he was now leaning against the table. There was a scratch from his left temple down to his chin and it was bleeding slightly but other than that he was unharmed.

"See," Merida said. She stroked Toothless' head. "Nothing to worry about. Now why don't you let our friend Neason go. He won't be a threat anymore. I think you've scared him."

Neason whimpered and nodded rapidly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Merida silenced him with a harsh glare.

"Come on, bud," Hiccup said. He held his hand out to Toothless. "I'm fine. Just let him go."

Slowly, Toothless backed away. She slithered over to Hiccup and stood protectively at his side.

Merida helped Neason to his feet. "Are you alright?" she asked. He just shrieked and ran over to his father. The others gaped, their eyes shifting from Merida to Hiccup and Toothless and back again. "I'm-I'm sorry," Merida said. No one responded.

"Merida…" Hiccup said, taking a step towards her. She held out her hand to stop him.

"Mum, Dad, I'm going to Berk with Hiccup. I think that's what's best. I'll be back in a few days." She turned to the lords. "I am so sorry that you wasted your time on me," she said. "And I'm sorry you almost got hurt, Neason." She walked over to Hiccup. She stood on her tip-toes and whispered, "Go wait for me in the forest, where we met last night."

"Alright," he whispered back. He gave her a one armed hug and then turned and walked out, Toothless on his heels.

Merida left the great hall without a word.

She found her brothers at the top of the stairs, quivering with fear. Of course they'd met Toothless before, even touched him, but they'd never seen him attack.

"It's alright, boys," Merida reassured them. "Toothless was just worried about Hiccup." She got down on her knees and wrapped all three of them in her arms. "I'm going away for a while. Only a few days. You be good for Mummy and Dad while I'm gone."

"You're coming back to us right, Merida?" Hamish said, surprising her. The triplets hardly ever spoke. They preferred to express what they were thinking through their actions.

"Of course," she said. "But you know that once Hiccup and I are married I'll have to go live on Berk."

Hubert spoke then. "You'll come visit though, won't you?"

"Yes, but I won't always be around to keep you from getting in trouble. You might have to grow up a little bit. Be more responsible. Do you think you can do that for me?" She smiled hopefully at them.

Harris nodded with tears in his eyes. "Just promise you won't forget about us."

Merida started crying, too. "I could never forget about you. We're family, and we'll always be there for each other, no matter how far apart we are."

All three boys wrapped their arms around her. She hugged them back and sniffed away her tears. "Alright," she declared, pulling away. "Do you want to help me pack?"

The triplets nodded, there brief period of speech over. They ran down the hall towards her room, tripping and shoving each other as they went.

Merida laughed as she rose and followed them. "That's my boys."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

When she was done packing and had said goodbye to her brothers, Merida headed back down to the great hall to leave. She had her bow across her chest and a quiver full of arrows hanging from her belt. She carried a sack with some clothes in it, just a few simple dresses and underclothes. Unfortunately, her mother was waiting for her.

Elinor was standing at the head of the table, her arms crossed over her chest. Merida flinched under her cold glare, knowing that there was no way she could escape.

Merida walked up to her mother and dropped her bag at her feet.

"I don't want you going to Berk. Not on that beast."

"It was an accident, Mum," Merida replied calmly. "He was just trying to protect Hiccup."

"He nearly killed Neason!" Elinor cried.

"Neason shouldn't 've attacked Hiccup!" Merida shouted back. "Toothless would never hurt me. Did you see the way he calmed down when I was talking to him? He trusts me, Mum."

Elinor sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "He's a wild animal, Merida. They can't be controlled."

"Toothless is a good dragon," Merida said. "And besides, Hiccup would never let him hurt me. Never."

Elinor stared hard at her. Merida squared her shoulders and stared right back.

"Alright," Elinor sighed. "Be back by the end of the week." She spread her arms for a hug and Merida obliged. "Your father is down at the docks trying to smooth things over with the lords. You should say goodbye."

Merida nodded and kissed her mother's cheek. "Alright. I love you, Mum. I'll be back." She picked up her bag and left, waving as she went.

Merida hurried out of the castle and towards the docks. She didn't want to keep Hiccup waiting too long. She was almost at the pier when she literally ran into her father.

"Oi!" he cried. "Sorry, dear."

"I- I just wanted to come say goodbye. I'll be home by the end of the week," Merida said.

Fergus looked down at his daughter. Her fiery hair was in a cloud around her face, making her blue eyes pop. "Please be careful, sweetheart." He pulled her to him, crushing her against his chest.

"I love you, Dad," she choked, unable to breathe with her face pressed into her father's chest.

"I love you, too." He released her and gave her shoulder a squeeze with his meaty hand. "Do you want me ta walk ya to the forest edge?"

"Nah, I'll be alright. Thanks though, Dad." She smiled and blew a kiss, then was on her way again.

Merida walked to the tree line, then looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching before she took off at full speed. She crashed through the underbrush, hoping that no wild animals were out looking for lunch. Once she tripped and her sleeve snagged on a branch as she went down. The fabric tore and she cursed, but got right back up and started running again.

She stumbled into the clearing in much the same manner she had the night before. Hiccup was leaning against a tree and watching Toothless catching fish after fish, fueling up for the flight back to Berk. Hiccup turned when she crashed through the bushes and fell to her knees, cursing again. He dashed over and helped her to her feet.

"I'm so sorry for what happened back there," he said.

"No, I'm sorry Neason was trying ta kill you. He deserved that. Trust me," Merida said. She pushed her curls out of her face and smiled at him. "And I bet it was fun. Right, Toothless?" she called, looking past Hiccup.

Toothless swallowed a fish and grunted his agreement.

"Alright," Hiccup assented. He pulled Merida in for a hug and felt something hot and sticky on her arm. "You're bleeding!" he cried.

"Huh?" Merida looked down at the tear in her sleeve and found that there was indeed a deep gash there. She felt lightheaded at the sight. Merida _really _hated blood, especially her own. She swayed a little bit and found herself leaning heavily on Hiccup. "It's n-nothing," she stammered, still unable to look without feeling faint. "Don't worry about it."

"No way," Hiccup said, already leading her towards a rock by the water. "That definitely is not okay." He sat her down on the rock. Toothless came over and was poking at her arm but Hiccup shoved him away. "Take your bow off," he ordered. Merida's hand instinctively moved up to clutch it protectively. "Merida, please," he begged and she handed it over. He took it, her bag, and unclipped her quiver from her belt and set them all on the ground next to her.

"There's a handkerchief in me bag," Merida offered.

Hiccup opened her bag and found the hanky. He dipped it in the crystal clear water of the stream. He knelt on the ground in front of Merida and gingerly wiped away the blood around the wound.

"Yer bleedin', too," Merida said softly. She drew her finger down the scrape on his cheek.

"It's not really bleeding anymore," Hiccup corrected, eyes still trained on her arm. "I wiped it off when I got here. It's just healing now." Merida nodded understanding.

"There," Hiccup said a moment later. "All clean." He swished the handkerchief in the water to rinse the blood out. When it was white again he set it on the rock next to her. Then he reached up with his right hand and grabbed his left sleeve at the shoulder. He yanked hard and the fabric ripped apart.

"Hiccup!" Merida exclaimed.

"Calm down," he said with a small smile. "I'll be fine. You're the one with the bloody gash in your arm." He ripped his sleeve into one long strip and wrapped it tightly around her arm, tying it into place. "Better?" Hiccup asked her.

"Much, thanks," she replied. She ducked her head and blushed. She was embarrassed that he had to take care of her just because blood made her a little weak in the knees.

He raised himself up and kissed the tip of her nose. "Good," he smiled. She only blushed redder. He laughed and swept her up in his arms. He had one arm behind her shoulders and the other under her knees.

Merida screamed. "Hiccup! What're you doin'?"

"I am saving a damsel in distress."

Merida punched his shoulder. "I am _not _a damsel in distress," she informed him. "And I don't need ta be saved. I'm just not fond of blood." She wrapped her arms around his neck though, because she didn't want him to put her down.

"I know, I was just teasing," he laughed. He kissed her on the lips, clutching her close. "I just like to see you blush."

That, of course, made her blush. To distract Hiccup from that fact, she kissed him again.

"Now we match," she said, patting his scarlet cheek.

"Alright, alright," he sighed. He gently set her on her feet and called Toothless over. Her unclipped his harness from the saddle and wriggled into it.

"You ready?" he asked.

She slipped her bow back over her head, her quiver to her belt, and picked up her bag. "Let's go."

Hiccup jumped up on to Toothless' back and hooked himself in. He held his hand out to Merida and pulled her up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as tight as she could.

"You don't have to hold on so tight," he said. "We'd never let you fall."

"I know," Merida said. She rested her chin on his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

"Okay then," he clicked his foot into the pedal and opened the tail fin. "Let's go then Toothless."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Berk came into view well after midnight. The torches were lit in the streets and a few windows, but there was no movement. Still, the view from the back of a dragon was one of a kind.

"Merida, look," Hiccup said, to no response. He glanced over to find that she was asleep with her head on his shoulder. "Merida, wake up," he said, shaking his shoulder a bit to rouse her.

"Huh?" Merida gasped. Her head snapped up and she wiped at the corner of her mouth. "What is it?"

"Look, we're here."

Merida rubbed the sleep from her eyes and gazed down at the firelight sparkling off of the water.

"Oh my…" she gasped. "Hiccup, this is amazing." She pushed up on his shoulders to stand on her knees.

"Be careful," he warned but she shushed him.

She let out a sigh. "This is beautiful."

"I know," Hiccup agreed. "Take it in while you can. It's not so nice up close."

Toothless spiraled slowly towards the ground. He touched down in the square and trotted a few steps to slow down. Hiccup unhooked his harness from the saddle and slipped down. He held his arms out to Merida and she hopped down.

"Ready to meet my dad?" Hiccup asked.

"Can't wait," Merida grinned.

Hiccup took her bag from her and led her up the hill. They got to the door and all three stood staring at the line of light beneath it.

Merida took Hiccup's hand. "Well open the door," she whispered, nodding to said door."

Hiccup took a deep breath and pushed it open. He stepped inside, but held his hand out to Merida, signaling that she should stay where he was. "Hey, Dad," he said.

Stoick looked up from the paper he was reading. An overjoyed smile split his face. "Hiccup, yer home!" he cried. He rose from his seat.

"Yeah, and there's someone I want you to meet." He turned and motioned out the door.

Merida stepped across the threshold, Hiccup's hand clutched tightly in hers. "Hello, sir."

Stoick took in the girl. Her hair was all blown straight back from flying so long and it was a shade of red that you just couldn't find on Berk. Her arm was bandaged with Hiccup's sleeve. She had a bow across her chest and a quiver at her hip.

Stoick walked across the room and over to Merida. He took one of her dainty hands between his giant ones. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Merida."

**Alright, funny author's note. My mom bought the Avengers at the store and she got a box of popcorn and a plastic cup with it. She got one with Iron Man for my brother and one with Merida for me. It is a literal Meri-cup. Get it? Like Mericcup? I laughed so hard it was unbelievable and she didn't even know why.**

**I'm sorry this took so long. School was taking over and then my computer spazzed and Microsoft Word wouldn't open things. I just got it fixed. I hope you're still interested.**

**The names I used for the suitors were the ones I found for my other Brave fanfic "Names." I didn't feel like typing the titles out again and again so I reused the names.**

**Alright then, please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Merida stood, bow strung and pulled taut, Toothless at her side._

_Things hadn't gone quite as expected with the Vikings. It was a bit like what had happened at Castle Dun'Broch, but only if you made Neason about ten times bigger and had a whole village of him._

_Hiccup had wanted to tell everyone as gently as he could, because he knew that not everyone would agree with his decision. But when he and Merida left his house that morning, the entire village was waiting._

_Ruffnut had told everybody while Hiccup was gone. And boy, were they _mad. _There was an angry mob at the bottom of the hill, complete with torches and pitchforks. They were shouting and throwing things._

_Someone had thrown a rock at Merida, but Hiccup jumped in its path and was knocked unconscious. Merida and Toothless immediately jumped to defend him._

"_Stop!" Merida was shouting. "Stop! No, you have to stop this! No, no!"_

"No!"

Merida's eyes snapped open. She processed that Hiccup was looming over her in the darkness, looking worried, his hand clamped on her shoulder. Not, in fact, knocked out by a rock. A glance across the room told her that it was still nighttime and Toothless was in his bed, looking at them curiously.

"Hiccup?" she said groggily. She raised her hand and touched his face, just to make sure she wasn't still dreaming. Nope, he was really there. "What're ya doin' awake?"

He placed his hand over hers on his cheek. "You were talking and crying in your sleep and I could hear you from downstairs. You sounded so scared. I had to come and make sure you were alright," he explained.

Merida smiled and pushed herself up with her free arm. "It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke ya." She pulled her knees up to her chest and patted the bed for Hiccup to sit.

"I was just worried about you," he said. He glanced over at his bedside table. His design book and a candlestick were sitting there. He opened the drawer and pulled out some matches. He struck one several times, but it didn't light. Finally he just sighed and held the candle out towards Toothless. The dragon sent a small flame shooting towards it.

It lit instantly.

"Here," Hiccup said, setting the candle back on the table, "This'll keep the nightmares away. They don't like the fire."

"Seems like having a dragon in the room 'd scare 'em to death," Merida mumbled.

Hiccup laughed. "Seems like, doesn't it?" He rested his hand on her knee. "You gonna be okay?"

"Mmm-hmm," Merida nodded, her curls bouncing. She leaned forward and kissed the tip of Hiccup's nose. "Thanks fer comin' ta check on me."

Hiccup blushed but kissed her back all the same. "Of course." He stood and turned, hobbling back down the steps.

Merida watched him go. When he had disappeared into the darkness downstairs, she turned to Toothless and smiled. "G'night, Toothless," she whispered. The dragon grunted back and tucked his head under his wing.

Merida lay down, her hair falling in front of her face. She peered between the strands at the flickering flame of the candle.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Crack of dawn the next morning, light was streaming through the skylight of Hiccup's room and right onto Merida's face. She covered her eyes with her arm as she sat up. She opened her eyes cautiously and found that they had adjusted.

Toothless trilled at her happily as he got up and waddled over.

"Morning to you, too, Toothless," Merida yawned. "Can ya do me a favor?" she asked the dragon.

Toothless nodded.

"Go guard the door and keep those men out while I get dressed." She gestured to the top of the stairs. Toothless must have understood, because he went over and positioned himself facing away so that if someone did come up they wouldn't be able to see anything.

Merida pushed back the blanket and pulled her bag onto her lap. She pulled out a brown dress and changed into it. She laced up the sturdy pair of boots that Hiccup had given her the night before, insisting that she'd need them. Then she tapped Toothless on the back so that he lumbered down the steps in front of her.

Stoick had already been up and gone, but Hiccup was sitting at the table, poking disgustedly at a bowl of porridge.

Toothless nudged his master gently with his nose, drawing the boy's attention. He smiled when he saw Merida. "Hey," he said.

"Mornin'." Merida kissed the top of his head and took a seat next to him. "What's for breakfast?"

"Not sure," Hiccup responded. He lifted his spoon and a blob of the stuff plopped back into the bowl. "Might be porridge, might not be. Dad's cooking is kind of iffy." He pushed the bowl away and wrapped his arm around Merida's shoulders, pulling her closer. "I'd recommend not eating it."

Merida was about to respond when the door opened with a bang and the couple jumped.

"Hiccup!" the Thorston twins shouted together as they burst inside. "You're dad said you brought her with you." They froze when they saw Merida turning to look at them. "Whoa," Ruffnut gasped. "That is some hair."

Hiccup rolled his eyes as he pushed himself up from the bench. "Merida," he held out his hand to help her up, "this is Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Ruff, Tuff, meet Merida."

"Pleasure to meet you," Merida greeted the twins, offering her hand to shake.

Ruffnut responded first, spitting into her palm and then shaking Merida's hand. "You're even cooler than I thought you'd be. Are you really a Scottish princess?"

"Yup," Merida responded. "Ma mum's the queen."

"Wicked!" Ruff exclaimed. "Didn't I tell you she'd be cool?" She elbowed her brother in the ribs, but he just continued to gawk at Merida.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed into slits when he noticed the infatuation in Tuffnut's gaze. He took a step forward and wrapped his arm around Merida's waist, pulling her tight to him. She glanced up at him, confused, but didn't protest.

Ruffnut elbowed her brother again, and when he still didn't respond she glanced over at him. She too noticed the way he was staring at Merida and slapped him upside the head. "Knock it off, dummy, she's Hiccup's."

Tuffnut shook his head and blushed. "Sorry," he muttered, and Ruffnut laughed. He growled and lunged to tackle her to the ground. She sidestepped so that he missed and he crashed to the floor. She placed her boot on his back and held him there.

"So," Ruffnut continued, ignoring her brother struggling under her foot, "how're ya liking good ol' Berk? It's probably nothing compared to a castle in Scotland."

"I just got here last night. Haven't really seen much of the place yet," Merida shrugged.

"You've at least seen some dragons, right?" Tuffnut chimed in from the floor.

"Just Toothless," Merida responded. Toothless looked back at them from where he'd been gobbling up his breakfast at an alarming rate.

"Geeze, Hiccup, what've you two been doing?" Ruffnut cried. Tuffnut wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, which only resulted in his sister kicking him in the side. "_Not_ what I meant, bozo." She turned back to Hiccup and Merida. "C'mon, ours is right outside." Ruff lunged forward, grabbing Merida by the wrist. She turned so fast that the princess had to duck to avoid being whacked by one of her heavy braids. Hiccup wasn't so lucky.

Outside, the twins' Zippleback was having a fight between its two heads. Ruffnut whistled and both heads swiveled to look at her. They grinned and slithered over to wind themselves around her and Merida, squeezing the two girls together.

"Boys, this is Merida, she's new here," Ruffnut explained.

One head raised itself so it was level with Merida's face. "Hello," she said nervously. The head opened its mouth, releasing a small cloud of green fumes and making Merida cough.

"No! Bad!" Ruffnut scolded, whacking the head away and waving her hand around to clear the gas. "Sorry about that," she laughed.

Merida smiled as Hiccup and Tuffnut each grabbed a head and untwisted the necks, releasing the girls.

"Not such a great first impression, huh?" Hiccup whispered to Merida, making her laugh.

Just then, Gobber came lumbering up the hill. "'Ey, Hiccup!" he called, waving his prosthetic hand in the air. He came to a stop, patting one of the Zippleback's heads so enthusiastically that you could actually hear it's skull ringing. "Is this the girl?"

Merida stepped forward and held out her hand. "The name's Merida."

"Knew it was somethin' like that," he responded as they shook. "I see ye've met our resident knuckle-heads," he continued, whacking Tuffnut on the back so hard he fell over.

"Yeah, they were introducing her to their dragon," Hiccup nodded.

"Well there's certainly prettier ones out there," Gobber mused.

"Hey! Don't talk about our boys that way!" Ruffnut snapped.

"Wasn't talkin' about the dragon," Gobber replied, winking at Merida. "Ye given her the grand tour yet, Hiccup?"

"I was going to, but then-"

"Well what're ye waitin' for!? Let's get goin'!" He threw one arm around Merida's shoulders and marched off down the hill, Ruff and Tuff on his heels.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and he and Toothless trudged after them. "And there goes her nice relaxing weekend."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Ruffnut, are ya sure about this? We're not exactly the same size… Or shape for that matter."

After Gobber had given Merida the tour of the town of Berk, Ruffnut had declared that she was going to give the girl a "Viking Makeover." Before Merida could protest, she'd been whisked away to the Thorston's house and locked in Ruffnut's bedroom.

"Course I'm sure," Ruffnut replied as she sat on her bed and re-braided her hair, facing the other way. "'Sides, it's much easier to ride dragons in a short skirt."

"Alright," Merida conceded. She stepped into the skirt Ruffnut had given her and tried to tug it up to her waist. This was what she'd been afraid of. While Ruffnut was twig thin and just as straight up and down like most young Viking girls were, Merida was curvier and had more meat on her bones.

Thankfully, though, the skirt sat where it was supposed to and wasn't too tight. She was already wearing a pair of brown tights, which were her own. Next was the shirt. It was red and had long sleeves, unlike the sleeveless black top Ruffnut was wearing. She picked up the long thin cord Ruffnut had given her to wear as a belt and wrapped it around her waist several times before tying it in a knot at her hip.

Merida turned to the other girl. "What d'ya think?"

Ruffnut looked up at her. "Pretty good." She stood and walked over, spinning the belt around so the knot was in the back. "Better, but there's something missing." She looked Merida up and down and then snapped her fingers. She took off her fur vest and handed it to her. "Put this on," she commanded and Merida obliged. "Much better," she nodded approvingly.

Merida looked down at herself. The skirt hit just above her knees and was brown, but a shade darker than her tights. The vest was soft tan fur that was really warm.

"Hey, are you wearing a necklace?" Ruffnut asked. "There's this lump here on your chest." She reached out and pinched the cord around Merida's neck, tugging the pendant out from under the shirt. "Whoa, is that a Nightfury?" She gasped, holding it close to her face to see it better.

"Yeah," Merida said. "Hiccup made it for me."

"Wicked." Ruffnut nodded approvingly. "It looks really cool. You should let it hang out." She moved the charm back so it was resting on Merida's chest.

"Maybe I will," Merida agreed, touching it reflexively.

"Let's go show the guys!" Ruffnut cried excitedly. She flung open the door and took off, Merida following behind her.

Downstairs, Tuffnut and Hiccup were playing cards. Neither looked very enthusiastic about it. Hiccup saw the girls enter first. "Wow."

Tuffnut turned to look as well. "Gee, Ruff, she looks _way_ better in your clothes than you do."

Ruffnut opened her mouth to thank him and then realized that she'd been insulted. With an animalistic growl, she leapt across the room and tackled her brother, who fell out of his seat with a girlish scream.

Hiccup stood and made his way over to Merida, leaving the twins to wrestle under the table. "You look amazing," he said, grinning like an idiot.

"Thanks," Merida said, blushing. "It's a bit odd ta be wearin' such a short skirt. Mum'd have a fit if she saw me." Merida laughed as she pictured the look on her mother's face.

"I was gonna say sorry for letting Ruff drag you off like that, but now I'm not sure if I should," Hiccup teased, nudging her knee with his.

"Don't apologize. Just expect it when I let my friends dress you up when you take me home," Merida grinned and nudged him back.

Hiccup laughed. "That wouldn't be so bad if your friends hadn't tried to kill me yesterday."

Merida shrugged. "Fine, my brothers then."

"That should be fun," Hiccup said, rolling his eyes.

The room darkened as the light that had been coming in through the open door was blocked out. All four teenagers looked up to find Stoick silhouetted in the door, his vast frame filling it completely. The chief turned sideways to fit through more easily and stepped inside, letting the light stream back in. "Hiccup, we've assembled the village in the mead hall. It's time."

Hiccup and Merida glanced at each other nervously. "Five minutes?" he asked his dad.

Stoick nodded stiffly. "Not much more. We don't want to keep them waiting." With that, he turned and left again.

"Can I change before we go?" Merida asked. "I want to look like myself when I meet 'em."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Make way everyone! Move aside!" Gobber called to the crowd assembled in Berk's mead hall. The villagers shifted around to clear a path from the door to the center of the room where Gobber was standing on a raised platform around the fire pit.

Once the way was clear, Stoick started off. Hiccup gripped Merida's hand and led her in after his father. She was glad she had changed back into her own dress. The familiar swish of her long skirt around her ankles was strangely reassuring. Behind them came Toothless and the twins brought up the rear.

When the procession reached the center Stoick, Hiccup, and Merida stood on the higher ground with Gobber. Toothless leapt over their heads and settled in the fire pit. It wasn't lit, but the ashes were still smoldering from the fire that had been there the night before. The twins broke away from the rest of them and struggled through the crowd to join a group of teens that were positioned near the front.

Gobber took off his helmet and banged his hammer hand against it, effectively quieting the villagers. He stepped back and Stoick took center stage.

"My friends," he began, opening his arms in a friendly gesture, "A few months ago my son, Hiccup, turned 17, the time when most young men start considering finding a wife." This statement was met with approving nods and murmurings from those assembled. Tuffnut and one of his friends whooped excitedly, but Stoick shot them a glance that shut them up. "For a while, it seemed as if the boy might never choose…" lots of people laughed and Hiccup frowned, "but the time has finally come. We'd like you all to meet Merida." Stoick swept his arm back, beckoning Merida forward.

Hiccup released her hand and gently nudged her forward. Merida stepped up to Stoick's side and he placed one enormous hand on her shoulder. "Her family is leaders of the Dun'Broch clan of Scotland, and she is the heir to the throne. She will-"

"A Scottish princess?" an incredulous voice shouted, interrupting the chief. A girl, probably about Merida's age, stepped to the front and glared up at them. "Have we all forgotten the history we have with the Scottish people? Think of all the bloodshed! They've hated Vikings as a whole for years!"

"Well, actually, Astrid, Hiccup and Merida's marriage could solve that problem," a chubby boy of about the same age called out. "A union between them could be cause for a truce between the Scottish and the Vikings, or at least us here on Berk. This could be a good thing for all of us."

"Thank you, Fishlegs!" Hiccup responded, stepping up on Merida's other side. "See, it's a good thing, guys."

"How do we know she's not a spy?" an old man with a long staff and a sheep hollered.

"For once Mildew has a point!" the girl, Astrid, continued. She pushed herself up onto the raised stones and turned to talk to the people. "How do we know she's not just here to gather information about us? She could be taking note of weaknesses, even sabotaging us. And she'll take everything she knows back to Scotland so they can come and wage war on us!"

"I would never!" Merida gasped. She stepped away from Hiccup and got up in Astrid's face. "I am here for Hiccup, and only Hiccup, because I love him. I would never hurt any of ya because I know how much he cares about ya all. And also, my father is not looking for any war, particularly right now. I may have started a war between my own people!"

Astrid turned and the two girls glared at each other. The crowd started shouting and offering other their opinions. Most agreed with Astrid, but a few voices were supporting Merida.

"That's enough! Shut up, the lot of ya!" Stoick bellowed and the sound died down.

Merida and Astrid remained nose to nose, staring each other down. Hiccup stepped between them. He pushed Merida one way and Astrid the other.

Stoick cleared his throat. "Astrid makes a valid point." Hiccup and Merida cried out indignantly. "But," he said, shooting them a look, "Hiccup trusts Merida, and I trust my son. We don't believe that she would ever do anything against Berk."

Astrid scoffed. "Hiccup would trust an Outcast if he had a good enough sob story."

"Maybe you're right Astrid," Hiccup spat with a scowl. "I mean, I trusted you, didn't I?"

Everybody gasped. Astrid's eyes widened and the she screamed. She whirled, leapt down and landed with a thunk. People moved to create a path as she stormed out, leaving whispering in her wake.

"Well, that went better than I thought," Stoick muttered. "Alright, does anyone _else_ have something to say?"

The room was silent. No one even breathed.

"Good. Alright then. Off with ya."

Everyone started talking at once. The crowd began to flow out of the room, Stoick and Gobber left as well. The only people that remained were Hiccup, Merida, Toothless, and the group of teens from the front of the crowd.

"Well that was exciting," Tuffnut commented.

Hiccup grunted and hopped down, stumbling on his prosthetic. He righted himself and held his hand out to help Merida down. She declined his offer of help and stepped off, landing much more gracefully than her fiancé. She smirked, satisfied, and Hiccup smiled back.

"'Exciting' wouldn't exactly be the word I used," the chubby boy, Fishlegs, interjected. "'Tense,' maybe 'stressful,' even 'terrifying.' Definitely not 'exciting' though."

"Oh come on, you babies. It wasn't that bad!" a third boy put in. He was short, thick, and had a nose shaped like a pig's. "I thought it was epic! The old girlfriend and the fiancé face off in front of the whole village. Songs could be written about that!"

"Hey, Snotlout," Hiccup said, his voice tight. "Why don't you go see where Astrid went?"

Snotlout brightened at the mention of the girl. "Okay!" he exclaimed, and scrambled out.

"Still can't believe you two are cousins," Fishlegs mused. "You look nothing alike."

"He's your cousin?" Merida asked Hiccup.

"Unfortunately, yes," Hiccup admitted with a sigh. "Although I tend to deny it. My dad and his are brothers."

"Thankfully, there's no resemblance," Merida grinned. "I don't think I'd like ya as much if ya had that pig nose."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hiccup gazed down at his and Merida's reflections on the water. They were down in the cove where he had met and trained Toothless, sitting on a fallen tree over the water. They weren't talking, didn't need to, were just enjoying each other's company. Hiccup kicked at the water, sending ripples out and distorting the image.

"What's the matter?" Merida asked. She slid her hand over and on top of his.

Hiccup turned his hand over and twined their fingers together. "Your first impression of Berk wasn't the best possible. Although, it really doesn't get much better."

Merida laughed quietly. "Don't be so hard on it. Yer friends 're nice. And yer father. And this place is beautiful."

Hiccup smiled. "Yeah, I guess it's not that bad."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

_**Meanwhile, on Outcast Island**_

A bird flitted through the air, evading blast after blast of dragon fire. It screeched as a Deadly Nadder's careful aim singed its wing. The bird spiraled uncontrollably and hurtled towards the ground. It smacked against the stones and died at the feet of a man who had just finished off a Gronkle. He looked down at the dead bird, about to kick it out of the way and continue with the never ending battle. Then he noticed a small piece of paper tied around its leg. He picked up the carcass and slipped the note off. He unrolled it, and he mouth spread into a crooked toothed grin.

The man ran through the ruins and rubble that was the Outcast City. He sped past man after man engaged in battle with the dragons, inspecting the face of each. Finally he found the man he was looking for.

"Alvin!" he cried.

The Outcast's leader turned, snarling at the man. "What do you _want_, Karr?"

Karr flinched. "We received a message from the spies on Berk, sir." He held out the paper, his hand shaking. Karr was by no means a small man, but even the strongest of Outcast warriors feared Alvin the Treacherous.

"Give me that!" Alvin snapped, snatching the paper away. His eyes scanned the runes and he smiled in much the same manner as Karr had. "Well lookie here! It seems that our Dragon Conqueror has found himself a fiancé. And a Scottish princess, no less!" He turned back to Karr and commanded, "Ready the ships. It would only be right to go and congratulate the happy couple."

**BUM-BUM-BUM! Uh oh, Alvin is on his way. That can't be good.**

**Alright, a couple things:**

**I've decided that Merida and Ruffnut should be friends. They just seem like they'd get along, and it's going to come into play later. Also, I know Ruffnut seems a bit mature, but this is four years after the movie. She's about 17 or 18, so she would have matured at least a bit. And, girls mature faster than boys anyway. It's a scientific fact.**

**Does the twins' Zippleback have an official name/names? I can't seem to find one. If there isn't one, I'm going to make two up (one for each head). If you have any suggestions for names, let me know.**

**I genuinely **_**love **_**the Thorston twins! They're just so much fun.**

**Thank you guys for all the support. I know it's been awhile and I hope you haven't given up on me. I love you guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**OMG! Leoluvr's not dead! It's a miracle.**

**So, no. I am not dead. I go to school. It causes major problems. It's annoying. And I'm sorry this took so long. There is really no excuse. Please forgive and keep reading. It would really make me happy.**

* * *

"And what gives you the right to declare that the wedding be held here?"

Moaning, Hiccup dropped his head against the thick wood of the table in castle Dun'Broch. His father sat at the foot of the table and to the right of Hiccup. At the head of the table sat Queen Elinor, Fergus on her right and Merida on her left.

"Several reasons," Elinor replied calmly. "Firstly, a traditional Scottish wedding is held in the bride's town."

"If ya hadn't noticed, Your Majesty, this isn't your traditional Scottish wedding," Stoick cut in.

"I am aware," Elinor agreed. "But there is more. Because of our family's position, it is required that we invite the other three clans to the wedding."

"We have an entire tribe as well," the Viking chief shot back.

"Understood. However, sailing to Berk from Dun'Broch is two day journey at best, and some of the clans are even farther out. Your son has informed me, though, that by dragon flight it only takes a day."

Stoick shot a glare at his son, who had lifted his head from the table. Hiccup shrugged. "I didn't think it was important," he whispered defensively. Stoick shook his head and turned back to continue his discussion with the Queen.

Hiccup propped his head in his hand and glanced down the table. He found that Merida was looking back at him. They both smiled and blushed before looking away again.

"You make a valid argument, Majesty," Stoick conceded.

Elinor folded her hands on the table in front of her. "I wasn't aware that we were arguing, Stoick. The only logical outcome will be for the wedding to take place in Dun'Broch. There really isn't anything to quarrel about."

The chief seemed caught off guard by her nonchalance. _He _had thought that they were arguing. The other three people in the room shifted their eyes back and forth between Stoick and Elinor, waiting uncomfortably for something to happen.

Stoick groaned and rubbed his face with one meaty hand. "Alright. I'll inform the tribe. We'll need to stay in contact, since I assume you'll be planning the whole thing."

Looking down the table once more, Hiccup noticed the proud smile Merida was trying to hide behind her hand. He grinned and shook his head. As much as she tried to pretend otherwise, Merida took great pride in her mother.

Elinor continued the conversation. "Yes, we'll keep in touch throughout the process of planning so you know what will be required on your end. Hiccup?"

The boy looked up in surprise when she addressed him. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Would you be willing to serve as a messenger?"

"Of course," he agreed, nodding vigorously. _'Any excuse to spend more time here,' _he thought.

The queen clapped her hands, satisfied. "Good, now that that's settled, Merida," she turned to her daughter, "it's time for you to be measured for your dress. Come along."

"Aw, Mum!" Merida cried indignantly. "Do I really _need _ a new dress? I have lots a perfectly good dresses."

Rolling her eyes, Elinor said, "Merida, this is your wedding. You need a new dress. Now, come. The seamstress is waiting in your room."

Merida grumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" Elinor snapped.

"Nothing, Mum," the girl replied almost immediately. She stood and took the long way around the table so she could walk past Hiccup. She stopped behind him and bent to kiss his cheek. "If you can, by any means necessary," she whispered in his ear, "get. Me. Out." She gave him one last desperate look and then followed her mother up the stairs.

Once the women were gone, Fergus and Stoick rose from their seats and walked towards each other.

"You're daughter's quite the feisty one, isn't she?" Stoick said with a chuckle, extending his hand to the other man.

"Aye. Mah wife as well," Fergus replied, accepting and shaking Stoick's hand.

As the fathers laughed and talked together, Hiccup sat at the table and observed. He was simply watching when he felt a tug at his pant leg. He jumped and ducked his head under the table to find the triplets on their hands and knees. "What's up, guys?" he asked.

The one on the left, Hamish, pressed a finger to his lips. Hiccup copied the gesture to show that he understood. The boy in the middle, Harris, motioned for Hiccup to follow them. Hubert, the last one, led the way, first darting between Hiccup's legs and making a dash for the door, his brothers on his heels. Figuring that it would be more interesting than sitting there and watching a conversation he hadn't been invited to take part in, Hiccup followed them out.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I'm sorry, you want me to do what so you can what?" Hiccup questioned the triplets after they'd revealed their plan to him.

"We want you to run into the kitchen," Hamish reiterated.

"With Toothless," Hubert added, pointing to the dragon sitting obediently behind them.

"So we can steal the cakes!" Harris finished.

Hiccup rubbed his forehead. "No way. You're know I'm trying to get your parents to like me, right?"

The triplets shrugged in unison.

"Oh well," Hamish said.

"We just thought we'd ask for your help," Hubert assisted.

"We were going to do it either way." As he said this, Harris produced a fish from behind his back. He waved it in front of Toothless' face and then all three boys bolted to the kitchen door, Night Fury on their heels.

"Hey, wait!" Hiccup cried, chasing after them. It was already too late.

Hamish and Hubert pushed open the door and Harris flung the fish inside. Toothless, of course, chased after it and bounded into the kitchen. By the time Hiccup got there the servants inside were already screaming and running out as Toothless tried to find the elusive fish. The triplets seized their opportunity and ran inside during the confusion. They nabbed an entire plate of cakes before dashing back out. One left it to his brothers to carry their teetering loot while he jumped up and grabbed Hiccup's hand, dragging him along. Hiccup inserted the fingers of his free hand into his mouth and whistled, summoning Toothless. By the time the guards, having been alerted by the screams, arrived, all that was left was an empty kitchen in disarray.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hiccup was sitting on a wall in the sunny castle courtyard, sketching in his journal and trying to look as innocent as possible. He was glancing up from his drawing every few seconds to make sure there weren't any angry guards storming towards him. During one of the brief periods of time when he wasn't watching his back, someone hopped onto the wall and sat next to him, scaring him out of his wits.

Merida laughed and said, "Careful there," when her fiancé nearly toppled off the wall in shock. She grabbed him by the collar as he fell backwards and hauled him back up. When he wasn't in danger of cracking his head open on the hard packed dirt, she proceeded with her purpose for coming over. "Apparently, the kitchen was attacked by a demon as black as the night earlier, and when the cooks went back in the only thing missing was a plate of cakes. Ye wouldn't know anything about, would ye?"

"Why would I know anything about that?" Hiccup replied nervously, his voice rising as he spoke.

"Just asking," Merida said, pretending like she believed him. She smirked and winked at him.

Changing the subject, Hiccup said, "So, how did your dress thing go?"

Merida groaned dramatically. She turned so she was laying on the wall with her head in Hiccup's lap. "Horrible. I got poked and prodded and measured and it was a nightmare!" She yanked her fingers through her curls and then grabbed Hiccup's hand and covered her face with it. She moaned once more.

"Poor thing," Hiccup teased with a mocking grin that she couldn't see. With the hand that wasn't covering Merida's face he pulled his journal out from under her. "Better?" he asked.

"Yes, actually," she replied, her voice muffled by his hand. "Thanks."

He rolled his eyes. "No problem. Wouldn't want my princess to be uncomfortable."

Peeking up between Hiccup's fingers, Merida glared at him. She pushed his hand off her face and sat up, sticking her tongue out playfully. "Knock it off, Viking."

He smirked. "As you wish, Princess."

The couple sat there, talking and laughing. Hiccup let Merida flip through his sketchbook and see his drawings. He was blushing as she came across a page with a drawing of her when Maudie scurried up to them.

"Princess," the maid said, wringing her hands in front of her.

"Yes, Maudie?" Merida responded.

"Yer needed in the hall. Both of ye."

Hiccup looked at Merida. She looked back up at him and shrugged. Both slid off the wall and followed Maudie inside.

They approached the hall and the sounds of shouting got louder as they got closer. Merida entered first. As soon as she saw what awaited them inside, she stopped short and whirled around, shoving Hiccup away and motioning for him to stay where he was. She moved back out into the open and the volume immediately increased.

Poking his head around the corner, Hiccup saw Fergus, Stoick, and the three older Scottish lords shouting at each other. Elinor sat calmly in her throne, watching the squabbling men. When she noticed Merida coming in, she beckoned her daughter over.

"Mum?" Merida questioned.

"Watch and learn, dear," Elinor said. She rose from her throne and walked into the fray. The men all halted, mouths agape and arms raised. "That will be enough of that infernal shouting, gentlemen."

Fergus' jaw snapped shut and he lowered his arm. "Sorry, Elinor," he murmured sheepishly.

"Well I'm not sorry!" Lord Macintosh snapped. "You broke your promise!"

Lord Dingwall stepped up to his side. "For once, I agree. Your daughter said she would marry on of our sons."

"I said nothing of the sort!" Merida cried indignantly, coming forward. "Your sons and I agreed that we would choose who we married. I never said that I would absolutely choose one of them."

"Oh, please. You know that's what we all thought," MacGuffin interjected.

"And the one ye did choose is a Viking!" Macintosh cried.

Stoick growled. "What's so wrong with a Viking?"

The uproar started once more but Elinor cut them off. "Men! Let's stop quarreling like boys, shall we?" She turned to her daughter. "Where is Hiccup, darling?"

It took every ounce of will power Merida had to not glance behind her at the corridor, but it turned out that her efforts were for naught. Hiccup had crept farther into the room to observe the fighting and was now clearly in sight.

"Look at him!" Dingwall shouted. "He's as big around as my little finger!"

Macintosh smirked. "He's got more muscle than your boy, Dingwall," he snickered.

"Why you-" Dingwall turned on the taller man.

"You want to fight, pipsqueak?" Macintosh encouraged, spreading his arms

"WOULD YOU KNOCK IT OFF!" Merida roared. "I don't know what ye think this is going to change. I'm going ta marry Hiccup." Something popped into her head, a memory of a chubby boy back on Berk. "And this will create an alliance between us and the Vikings of Berk. We won't have to worry about fighting them anymore."

Something changed in the lords' eyes. The thought of an alliance appealed to them. They weren't done fighting yet though. MacGuffin spat out, "But-"

"Lord MacGuffin," Merida cut him off. "I'd like ta tell ye that nothing you say will change my decision. I _will _marry Hiccup."

MacGuffin's mouth snapped shut as Macintosh and Dingwall's dropped open for them to object.

"Nothing _any_ of you say will change my mind. Continuing to fight this would just be a waste of your energy." Merida stood as straight as possible, staring down the lords. "I hope that our clans can remain friends, and we- no _I _- would be honored to have you present at my wedding."

There were several tense moments of silence. They ended when Dingwall huffed, "Fine," and stormed out of the room. Macintosh gave a sharp nod and left as well. MacGuffin shrugged, smiled slightly, and took his leave.

Elinor beamed proudly. "Well done, Merida. You handled that perfectly.

Merida smiled bashfully. "Thanks, Mum."

Fergus hugged his daughter, crushing her to his chest. "Yer just like yer mother."

Her face still pressed against her father, Merida cringed. She wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing but she decided to take it as a compliment. "Thanks, Dad. Not that I don't love ya or anything, but I can't breathe."

"Whoops, sorry, dear." He released her and she quickly took a step back.

Now that Merida was standing beside him, Hiccup leaned over and bumped her shoulder with his. "Thanks," he said.

Merida smirked and bumped him back. "Yer welcome."

Hiccup bumped her again. She elbowed him. He elbowed her. Soon enough, they were shoving each other and laughing.

"That will be enough, children," Elinor said kindly. Hiccup and Merida both stood at attention, hands held behind their backs. When they glanced at each other, though, they burst out laughing again. Elinor rolled her eyes. She absentmindedly smoothed a loose curl out of her daughter's face as she though, "_Young love._"

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Before the sun rose the next morning, Toothless and Thornado were saddled up. The pair of dragons stood side by side in the castle courtyard. Stoick was just inside the door, saying goodbye to Fergus.

Hiccup was next to Toothless, petting him and making sure he was ready for the long flight home. He glanced up at Merida's windows. He had told Maudie not to wake her since they were leaving so early, but he was starting to regret his decision. Not only would she give him heck next time they saw each other, he sort of wanted to say goodbye. As he was lost in his melancholy train of thought, a pair of thin arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Ya didn't think ya could get away without sayin' goobye now, did ya?" a familiar voice whispered, although it was still weighed down with sleep. This was early, even for her.

Hiccup laughed and turned around to be greeted by a mess of orange curls. He pushed them away until he found Merida's face underneath and smiled when he finally did. "I didn't think bedhead was possible for you, but obviously I was wrong," he said.

Merida scowled, but a smile was tugging at her lips. She tightened her grip around him and murmured, "At least I don't have morning breath."

Suddenly self conscious, Hiccup turned his head away from her and breathed into his hand. She burst out laughing.

"Kidding," she gasped between giggles. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." She used his riding harness to pull herself up and peck him on the lips. "Fly safe, okay?" she whispered when she dropped away again.

"I always fly safe," he replied.

"Oh yeah?" Merida said. "What happened to this leg then, hmm?"

He chuckled. She had a point there. "Okay. I promise I'll fly safe." He kissed her forehead then her lips. "Don't go off angering magic bears, okay?"

"That was a one time thing!" she cried, stepping back. "Get going, Viking, or you won't be back to Berk before dark."

"I'd be gone already," he said. "But a certain princess is holding me up." He turned away. When he glanced over his shoulder to see her reaction, she looked sort of hurt. He rolled his eyes and turned around again. "Kidding, Mer," he assured her. "Kidding."

Merida gave Hiccup one more hug. She released him just as Stoick walked over. "Let's get going, son," he said, clapping his hand on HIccup's shoulder. He smiled at Merida. "It was nice to come a visit your home. It seems I'll be seeing more of it soon enough."

"It was an honor to have you," Merida said with a slight nod.

The Vikings mounted their dragons. Merida was forced to step back so Toothless would have room to spread his wings. Hiccup waved and Toothless winked at her. Merida had just started to wave back when they took off.

The redhead ran down to the docks, chasing after them. She held her skirts up in one hand and waved with the other. She knew Hiccup was going slower than he normally would so she could keep up. When she reached the end of the dock, she stopped, simply leaning out and waving. Toothless fired a blast into the open air as a farewell salute and then they were gone.

Merida made her way back up to the castle much more slowly. She dragged her feet, realizing now that Hiccup was gone that she was still a bit tired. Within the castle walls her mother and father were waiting for her.

"Good morning, Mum, Dad," the princess greeted her parents. She kissed each on the cheek as she always did.

Elinor bent down to kiss her daughter's forehead. She had to hold her hair back now that she no longer wore it in braids. "Good morning dear," she replied. "Did you sleep well?"

Merida nodded, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

The queen shook her head. "Very good. Now then, come along. There's much to prepare before the wedding."

"Aw, Mum!"

* * *

**Okay, there's a lot of fluff in here. A LOT of fluff. But that's okay. Because stuff is gonna happen soon. Bad stuff. Don't forget, Alvin knows about the wedding now. So that's something.**

**I should have more time to write over the summer. Should. Dunno. Maybe. Let's hope. I got lots of projects. I owe my friend an Ouran High School Host Club/Macbeth crossover. It's gonna be called MacOhtori. If you're interested you can look forward to that.**


End file.
